Reconnecting America Project Director Chris Yake has been named to Mass Transit magazine's 2012 Top 40 Under 40 List of young professionals who have made significant contributions to the public transit industry.

Reconnecting America Program Associate Bill Sadler has been named to the 2012 Next American Vanguard Class. Sadler is one of 43 people selected from nearly 200 applications by Next American City for this year’s class. According to the announcement at Americancity.org, Next American Vanguard Class members were chosen for their bright ideas for cities, experience in the field and ambition for the future.

Reconnecting America President & CEO John Robert Smith was in Mobile, AL, this week to address the Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Summit. At the summit Smith was interviewed by Ron Reams of NüzzApp, a Gulf Coast regional news website.

Reconnecting America's Abigail Thorne-Lyman, the director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, was interviewed as part of a New York Times article on Los Angeles efforts to develop a comprehensive urban plan.

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith moderated a discussion of pending federal transportation legislation with North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti; Steve Heminger, Executive Director of Bay Area Metro Transportation Commission, and member of the congressionally chartered National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission; and Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

"In the Administration's recently released budget for Fiscal Year 2013, which calls for increased investment in our nation's communities and infrastructure, there is good news for all Americans, whether they live in urban or rural areas and whether they travel by automobile, bus or rail. In particular, President Obama continued the Administration's support for alternatives to highway transportation, such as increased funding for transit systems, and new investment into expanding inter-city and high-speed passenger rail. This affords all citizens choices in how they will travel and is at the heart of the work that Reconnecting America does, connecting people to the places that matter," said John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America. "In addition, the Administration's proposed funding for the Sustainable Communities Partnership would allow even more places around the country to benefit from that highly successful initiative. For our country to remain competitive…